PETERSBURG — Evidence of one of the wettest years on record can still be seen in Kyle Winkelmann’s fields as spring planting nears.
“The bad part is we’re still dealing with a lot of ruts. We didn’t get some of the fields tilled last fall, so we have ruts and tracks coming into the field. But if it’s too muddy, it’s too muddy,” the Menard County farmer said Tuesday.
Agricultural experts say farmers are looking at their third wet spring in a row in Illinois — barring a stretch of dry weather and a quick warm-up — primarily as a result of last fall’s wet weather and late harvest.
Wet ground brings with it compacted soil that is slower to dry and an increased risk of crop disease. Late spring planting also has a ripple effect into the fall. Winkelmann recalled that he and his father, Robert, were still bringing in the crops in early December last year.
“You had to talk to Grandpa to find someone who had been out that late,” said Winkelmann.
A wet December
December was the ninth wettest on record in the Springfield area, with 4.45 inches of precipitation, including a record 1.28 inches on Dec. 23, according to records at the National Weather Service office in Lincoln.
Precipitation for all of 2009 was more than 17 inches above normal.
“We were fortunate. We got all of our crop in,” said Auburn-area farmer Garry Niemeyer. He said the last two springs have been among the wettest he can recall in more than three decades of farming.
Some farmers had to replant crops each of the last two years because of heavy spring rains.
Niemeyer said he also has been keeping an eye on the snowmelt in the upper Midwest, which eventually works its way into Illinois rivers.
“They have a heavy snow-pack, especially in Iowa,” said Niemeyer,
Some of the heavy snow was much closer to home. The 41.5 inches of snow in the Peoria area was the second-snowiest winter on record there, according to the weather service. The month of February also was the second snowiest with 18.3 inches.
Compact soil, stalks
Farm managers at the Heartland Ag Group in Rochester plan to get a first glimpse of area fields this week, said Gene Meurer, one of the partners in the firm.
Meurer said it is pretty clear from drive-by looks that a lot of fields were left untilled last fall. As a result, soil tends to remain compacted. Cornstalks left in the fields also insulate the soil and retard drying.
“We need to get out there and take a look, but they were waiting for the wet weather to end, and it never did,” said Meurer.
A University of Illinois analysis released this week says soil temperatures also remain well below ideal drying temperatures.
The immediate prospects are better. The National Weather Service says the next chance of rain is not until this weekend. But a variety of state and federal tracking services say there’s more than enough moisture left from last fall. Flood advisories also have been issued, including for the Illinois River.
“It’s pretty damp. We could use a little warm weather and sunshine,” said Harry Schirding, who has been farming in Menard County for nearly 40 years.
Schirding, who served as a crop watcher for the Menard County Farm Bureau for the past 17 years, said the last three years have been among the more unusual, especially 2009’s late harvest.
“I thought we were going to have Thanksgiving dinner on the tractor, but we managed to get it done,” said Schirding.
Tim Landis can be reached at 788-1536.
How wet is it?
As a result of one of the latest harvests on record last fall, a federal update normally confined to winter crops included a section on Illinois corn when it was released early this month.
Among the findings:
* “A few more producers were able to complete harvest of corn as the weather warmed slightly, with only light snow in some areas.”
* 58 percent of topsoil was rated as saturated, while 42 was rated as having adequate moisture; in central Illinois, nearly three-quarters of the fields were rated as too wet.
River flooding
The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for the Illinois River, including at Peoria, Havana, Beardstown and in Morgan County. The river was expected to crest above flood stage at several points today (Wednesday), before falling later in the week. At this point, minor flooding is expected.
The Sangamon River is expected to remain below flood stage.
Price prospects
Two reports scheduled for release March 31 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will tell a lot about price and planting prospects for 2010, according to a report from University of Illinois farm economist Darrel Good.
Good said the “Grain Stocks” and “Prospective Plantings” reports might be more significant than usual this year because of the late 2009 harvest.
“There are still a lot of unresolved questions about the size of the 2009 harvest, and the impact that quality of the 2009 crop has had on domestic consumption,” said Good.
After dropping at the turn of the year, corn and soybean prices have remained relatively stable going into planting season. Corn for May delivery was selling at $3.66 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade Tuesday, while soybeans were at $9.45 a bushel.
Good said most analysts expect an increase in corn acreage this year to meet increased demand for ethanol.
– Tim Landis
Read the original article from The State Journal-Register.